increasing your personal power by keeping promises to yourself
the power of the shamanic fast
One of my favorite follows on social media is an account called wisdomsushibites. It’s run by an elder named Fu-Ding Cheng. Cheng studied with Don Miguel Ruiz, who wrote The Four Agreements1, a book that is part of the canon of my own personal belief system.
I was inspired (influenced) by Cheng to participate in a “shamanic fast” last spring, and I’m in the middle of another one right now. Cheng calls the shamanic fast one of the greatest practices he engaged in while studying with Don Miguel Ruiz.
A shamanic fast is not a fast in the typical sense of the word, abstaining from food, although food could be the subject of it. Cheng calls a shamanic fast a “diet of your own choosing,” inspired by Jesus’ 40 days in the desert.
The springtime shamanic fast started on Ash Wednesday and lasted until Easter. Those with Catholic and other Christian upbringings might recognize this as related to Lent, and the concept is the same as giving something up for Lent. I’m a big believer that you don’t need to follow, or be a practicing member of, a certain religion in order to adopt some of its practices, particularly those which make sense to you and bring you closer to yourself.
Plus, I will admit, I enjoyed giving things up for Lent when I was younger. A real hardo from a young age. A baby stoic. I enjoyed the practice of self-discipline and showing myself the strength of my own willpower.
In sanscrit, there’s a word for a decision you make with your highest self — a sankalpa. In the Ayurvedic tradition, it is believed that when you make a promise to yourself and keep it, you gain personal power. With every such promise, made and kept, you increase what’s called sattva. Sattva is one of the fundamental inherent qualities or attributes characteristic of all things in the universe. Sattva is described as a stabilizing force, the quality of cosmic intelligence.2 Therefore, when you keep a promise to yourself, you increase your cosmic intelligence and the stabilizing force of nature in your own being.
The language and mindset one engages in while participating in a shamanic fast is important. Cheng encourages thinking of the fast a way to honor your body that has served you over all your years, rather than letting your mind focus on missing the thing that you’ve given up. I find it generally advisable to focus on the meaning behind your actions, especially when they are difficult to carry out, rather than focusing on lack.
Now, as far as what you’re “fasting”: you get to decide. It also doesn’t necessarily have to be giving something up; you could also make a commitment to do something every day for the 40 days of the fast. For me, coffee was an obvious choice. When I first watched the video, my mind went to coffee and I knew I had to respect that internal wisdom. I love coffee so much but I know that it’s not always the best for my digestive system. A shamanic fast of coffee would be both challenging and beneficial for my health.
It’s powerful to make a commitment to yourself and then follow through with that commitment. It increases your person power and strengthens your self-discipline. You might even finish the fast having more belief in your ability to do other things with this increased sense of discipline and dedication.
Another aspect of the shamanic fast is the way it brings to the surface one’s parasites. Cheng states in his video that when you break your normal routine of eating or behaving, your parasites come out. In shamanic tradition, the word “parasite” is used to refer to non-physical beings that drain our energy by commandeering our emotions. These could be beliefs, inner demons, what Carl Jung referred to as the “shadow.” Some of our daily behaviors have as a byproduct the distraction from dealing with our biggest internal struggles. It’s easy to ignore your parasites when you’re scrolling or using substances to numb out.
According to Cheng, when people would come to Don Miguel Ruiz with problems related to the parasites that came out while on a shamanic cleanse, he would respond to questions with, “That’s all part of you being out in the desert,” a reference to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert where—they say—he was forced to face temptation. I love this metaphor and hope to start using it when I give others advice — sounds like you’re really out in the desert right now.
Practicing making commitments to yourself and keeping them is a beautiful way to strengthen your resolve and increase your personal power. Let me know if you try it.
among many other books and teachings
definition from the book Ayurvedic Lifestyle Wisdom by Acharya Shunya